The township officials held an executive session for legal matters with Mr. Lantz, Ms. Blaney and Mr. Seachrist prior to the meeting.
After the meeting was brought to order with the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. Lantz was called on to explain the Township's position on the status of Old Possessions Road. Mr. Lantz said that on November 10, 2012, DCNR transferred ownership of the road to the township; however, his research indicated that, in order for the transfer to take place, the Commonwealth had to meet certain conditions relating to the condition of the road. Mr. Lantz said these conditions were not met. "They needed to bring the road up to standards before it was transferred," he told the audience. He added that if the township vacates the road, it will revert to DCNR or to private landowners.
Mr. Lantz noted that the Township had developed a study which shows that it would cost over a million dollars to bring the road completely up to standards . He advised the township to seek grants, such as under the Dirt & Gravel Road program, in order to cover as much of the cost as possible.
The large expense related to upgrading the road inspired some sentiment in the audience to allow the road to revert to the Commonwealth, but the residents along the road wish it to remain in the township. "We don't need it to be turned into River Road," one man said, "Just fix what is there!" He said that the township did put material on the road once, "and it was beautiful," but, he added, it soon was gone, due to weather and other factors.